Revelation
by JLo10131121
Summary: Post-703. Now that Calleigh has read some of Eric's most intimate thoughts, what will she do? Okay, the first two chapters are rated T for Teen, but Chapter 3 is rated M. So read at your own risk!
1. Chapter 1

_As Calleigh read on through Dr. Marsh's notes about Eric's most recent session, her breath caught in her throat. _After I got shot, it really put things into perspective…made me start thinking about my future. About settling down. It'd be nice if it were Calleigh._ What she read for the next few minutes after had Calleigh's heart stopped for a second and she had to take a breath because her lungs were empty. Her throat was tight and then her heart began to beat double time. She couldn't catch a breath. _

_Eric noticed her expression. "Find anything?" he asked leaning slightly toward her. _

"_Nope," she said, after taking a breath. "I think this is a bust." _

After having caught Burnham and the short talk with Eric outside Miami-Dade HQ, Calleigh was driving in home in rush hour traffic, still in a daze, her mind on what she had read. She couldn't quite believe what was written in those notes. Eric and she had always had a close relationship, closer than mere friends but still not as intimate as lovers, and she knew he had feelings for her. He'd done and said many things these past two years since his shooting to indicate that, but she'd never thought his feelings ran that deep. She thought what he'd been feeling was mostly gratitude and friendship manifesting in a crush that had continued past the shooting and his recovery because she'd helped him so much since that terrible time. But something this serious? Never.

A rude driver honked loudly behind her and Calleigh started, and then began pulling forward the short car length the other driver was angry she hadn't moved up. Eric was her best and closest friend, one of few she saw socially outside of work and could trust wouldn't blab around the office about her antics when they went out together on the few occasions she actually wanted to go to the local bar or nightclub. They'd been through so much in the last seven years. Speedle's death, Hagan's suicide, Marisol's murder, Alexx's resignation….. It seemed that everyone they loved left, in one form or another. She didn't think she could take it if she lost him, even if he didn't physically leave the force. Because Calleigh knew she couldn't give Eric what he wanted, what he needed, as much as she wanted to. She couldn't jeopardize their relationship over sex, even with the promise of so much more…

_Calleigh read on, absorbing every word. She couldn't stop herself, even knowing these were some of Eric's most private and intimate thoughts. She had to know…_

_When we started these sessions, and before, when I was seeing the department psychologist, I said I was having dreams, nightmares really, seeing and hearing, reliving the shooting. For days and nights afterward I couldn't hear a gunshot without flinching and the sound of the report bringing me back to those moments when I was in that gunfight. But now, those dreams, they've stopped, and been replaced. Replaced with these dreams… About Calleigh…About what it would, what it could be like with her. I dream about our life together as if it's already happened. I feel such, _Eric chokes up, tears clogging his throat, burning his eyes, _such calm when I'm there in that place. I want that peace I've found in those dreams. There's been such little peace in my life these past years…When I wake up, sometimes I have trouble coming out of it. I don't want to leave that place I've found with her. It's perfect. I want that with her in reality. I want her. I love her. I think I've been in love with her for several years and it's taken this long, this event, to realize it. I love Calleigh. _

Calleigh shivered slightly, remembering the words printed on that handwritten sheet, a stark and bold statement testifying to Eric's feelings. Just thinking about it had her heart racing in sheer panic. What was she going to do? She couldn't start a relationship with Eric. Office romances never worked out. Look what happened with Jake. Wait a minute, Calleigh mentally paused. She was considering it? How could she be considering it? She didn't care about Eric that way. Did she? Calleigh evaluated her feelings for him on the long 45 minute drive home.

Facts I Know About My Relationship with Eric

We've known each other for seven years.

He's my best friend.

He's one of the most important people in my life.

I depend on him sometimes. (Okay, a lot.)

He's my sounding board.

I trust him implicitly.

I love him.

The first and fourth facts revealed they had a lot of history, professional and personal. He'd been there through some of the toughest times in her life: Speedle's death, her father's many falls off the wagon, Hagan's suicide, her kidnapping—the list goes on. The second was directly related to the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Before Tim died, the two of them were thick as thieves. They'd been partners and friends for over five years before that newbie Eric Delko showed up on the scene. Calleigh smiled, remembering the first time she met him. He'd been so green, fresh out of underwater recovery, the new kid on the block, and eager to please. During that early period, Calleigh, being the senior investigator, had trained Eric and gotten to know him. Over the last seven years and especially since Tim died, they'd grown considerably closer and now she didn't know what she'd do without him. She went to him when she wanted to talk (even though those times were few and far between). She knew she could tell him anything and he wouldn't judge or laugh or taunt. She thought it was a given he could do the same, but with these notes and his words on that paper…. Didn't he trust her? She trusted him to watch her back, personally and professionally. Why couldn't he come to her?

Calleigh felt kind of betrayed that he wouldn't talk to her about what he was feeling. _Although_, a small voice inside—which sounded suspiciously like her own—said, _you didn't make it exactly easy with dating Jake the better part of two years._ Jake's different. He's got nothing to do with this, she replied mentally. _He's got everything to do with this!_ the voice resounded. _Eric's felt insecure and with the way you've treated him the last two years since his shooting, he probably thinks you pity him._ How have I treated him? she asked internally. _Like he was a child that has to be taken care of. _

Calleigh thought back to their interactions since the shooting and judged each gesture, look, or word. She had treated him with kid gloves for most of the year. And with her involvement with Jake, she'd tried to gently let Eric down. She'd seen his growing crush, and she'd thought that was all it was, a crush that had extended long beyond the normal time and even so, would eventually fizzle out and die. _Never mind your own feelings for him. _What feelings? Calleigh asked silently, stubbornly. _Oh, I don't know. Why don't you examine number seven on that list there? Hmmm? _

The voice inside was silenced briefly as she finally pulled into the driveway of her house. Entering the garage and turning off the alarm, Calleigh made her way into the kitchen where she dropped her keys and purse on the table and went to the counter where an opened bottle of Savignon Blanc was waiting. Pouring herself half of a glass, she made her way back though the hall and into the living room, where she reclined on her chaise lounge, kicked off her shoes, and took a sip of the dry, but refreshingly cool wine. _When are you going to admit your feelings? _the little voice spoke up and startled Calleigh so she almost spilled her wine.

"I do not have feelings for Eric," she said out loud. He's my best friend and that's all. Nothing more, nothing less.

_Keep telling yourself that…_ _Then why is it you sometimes get the butterflies in your stomach or when he's talking to you the hair on the back of your neck stands up and takes notice. Your heart races and the place between your le—_

That's enough! Alright, I'll admit it. I'm aware of him. Sometimes. It's perfectly natural. It's nature. I'm a woman, a normal healthy woman. He's a man, an attractive man, a very attractive man, with the cutest little dimple when he smiles and— Calleigh's face softened as she visualized Eric's face— those gorgeous brown eyes, so deep you could sink into them (_And you have). _Calleigh mentally traveled down his body. A nice firm chest, nice six pack abs, strong arms, all that tanned sk—

Calleigh realized where her thoughts were going and put a brick wall down fast. She'd never thought of her colleague like this before. _Not when you were conscious. _

What?

_Anyway, gutter mind, I wasn't talking about those feelings, although that was a nice reminder. Thanks. I was talking about emotional feelings. Remember number seven?_

I love Eric. I do. As a friend. He's my best friend. Of course I love him. We've been through a lot together. He's like a brother to me, Calleigh mentally stated firmly.

_Snort Brother, my ass. So that's why you almost broke down when he was shot? Seems like much more. Seems like a permanent, love-you-in-a-forever-kind-of-way love. Why you didn't leave his side?Why were you crying? Why did your heart hurt so much? Why was it in your throat the entire time he was in the coma? Why did you pray, when you'd stopped praying a long time ago? Why the intense relief when he woke up? You've lost friends and other loved ones before, but no one you were—_

"—In love with," Calleigh whispered in shock. She was, she realized, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she thought it was going to jump out. Her breath was short again. She was gasping, feeling slightly lightheaded as she consciously realized what she'd subconsciously known the whole time: She was in love with Eric Delko. Like any good addict on the road to recovery, she'd taken the first step and admitted it. Now what?


	2. Chapter 2

Admitting she was in love with Eric was the first step, but the first step towards what? She'd always been good at compartmentalizing. Putting everything and everyone into their own little box with a label. Horatio – Colleague and friend. Ryan – Colleague and friend. Jake – Lover/Ex-boyfriend. Eric Delko had always been labeled as co-worker, but prominently as "best friend." In Calleigh-World, mixing business and pleasure was a no-no. It could lead to complicated, messy situations and she tried to keep everything as uncomplicated and un-messy as possible. She admitted it. She was a bit of a control freak. But growing up in the situation she'd been in, an alcoholic father and apathetic mother…didn't leave a kid with many options. Eric made her feel out of control. His feelings and more specifically, seeing his words, the confession of his heart and soul on paper, left Calleigh feeling panicky. And now, realizing she'd been in love with him for God knows how long, deepened that panic. She'd been in love before. Jake. Before that, Adam, her college love and the man she'd almost married. But neither of them nor any of her other relationships had involved men she'd been close friends with. She'd tried that in high school and lost friendships over sex and the inevitable break-up. She didn't want that to ever happen again and so at a young age, she began to differentiate and place the men in her life into certain categories: Friend, Colleague, Lover/Boyfriend, Acquaintance.

Eric wasn't someone she could brush off. She didn't want to. But just because she was in love with him didn't necessarily mean she should start a relationship with him. They worked together, for God's sake! Their work relationship could be compromised. _But isn't it worth the risk? _The voice was back. _Being happy is worth the risk. Stop guarding your heart so closely. You could find forever in his arms. But first you have to give up that control._

She had always kept her feelings close to the vest. First as a child and then as a woman, professionally and personally. Most recently, she'd taken a chance on a relationship with Jake and that had fizzled out after just a few short months of happiness. With his undercover work and her cases, they'd been apart more than they'd been together in the last two years. To be fair, even though she'd been in a relationship with him, she admitted to herself, she'd still held back a part of her heart, unable to let go of that small core of her being. _It's hard to do. Letting someone that deep inside yourself is a scary thing. It's an issue of intense trust, of giving yourself up completely and entirely—without reservation or hesitation. It's something you've never done before. _And that's what she was afraid of, Calleigh realized. If they pursued a relationship, she could easily see herself giving that core piece of her heart to him, along with the rest of it, unreservedly. But what if it didn't work out? That was the kicker. What if they became intimate and they crashed and burned? She bit her lip in worry. She'd never let herself fall that deeply for someone before and what if they didn't work out? Happily ever after wasn't a strong concept in her family. Look at her parents. Married and divorced twice each now. Happily ever after only lasted until the credits rolled. If you continued that Disney movie, you'd see life happen.

She didn't know if she could deal with the repercussions if she and Eric took a chance and it didn't work out. She loved him. He was her best friend and confidante. He was her sounding board and she didn't know if she could take not having him to lean on if they broke up. That was another reason she found herself holding back. _If you don't take a chance, you'll never have the kind of love you've always longed for. You _know_ Eric. You know keeping things status quo won't work. You'll always wonder 'what if?' Fifteen, twenty years from now, you'll be wondering. What if you had become involved? Would you still be together? Would you be married with children? Would you be intensely happy, instead of just content? Don't settle, Calleigh. As Dad would say, go for the gold, balls out, always. Don't let fear stop you from going after what you want. Don't let it influence you that way. Don't have regrets. _

Calleigh blew out a tight breath, releasing tension. Eric was worth the risk, wasn't he? They could be great together. And even if they didn't work out, she could at least say she went after what she wanted. _Stop thinking so damn pessimistically and call him already! _Hand shaking slightly, Calleigh picked up the cordless phone on the table beside the lounge. Dialing the familiar number from memory, she waited anxiously for Eric to pick up.

"Hello?" Eric's raspy voice sounded.

"Hey, it's me," Calleigh said, overly bright and promptly winced. Toning down the sunshine, she said more seriously, "Eric, can I come over? We need to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED A HARD M FOR MATURE. IF YOU'RE UNDER 17 AND READ ANYWAY, DON'T BLAME ME. If you want a PG-13 version, let me know and I'll edit it for you. Although, why the heck would you want one? Another thing, the last like four pages were a total surprise to me. I had not planned this to be rated M and had intended to gloss over the sex, but my fingers kept writing and i could see the scene in my head. I hope you enjoy it.

Calleigh's heart was racing the entire drive over to Eric's as well as her mind and she found herself second-guessing this decision, a very impulsive decision, which was not like her. She usually took a lot longer than a couple of hours to reach a decision with a situation that could change her entire life. All of her insecurities that she kept so deep inside started to rear their ugly heads and the questions she had earlier came back. Was she doing the right thing? Was starting something with Eric really worth the heart ache she could go through if they didn't work out? How would this affect work? She didn't like her personal relationships aired around the office and she hated gossip. She didn't tolerate it in the department when she was on duty and this would definitely reach the gossip mills. It would be the talk around the water cooler for weeks.

_Didn't we already go over this? How many times am I going to say this - Stop the second-guessing and go for what you want. It's simple. Calleigh wants Eric. Whether or not it lasts is up to the two of you. You can make it work. You just have to want it badly enough. _

She evaluated that thought as she nibbled her bottom lip, mind so far in thought she was driving on autopilot. I. Want. Eric. I. Love and am in love with. Eric. She admitted it slowly to herself, testing it out, as if the earlier thought wasn't enough. It still hadn't really hit her. Realizing it earlier was the first step, but she was still getting used to the fact that she'd been in love with him and hadn't realized it. Starting the relationship wasn't going to be the hard part, she realized. Keeping it going was going to be the real test. Through work and fights and all the little and big things in between. The longest relationship she'd had was a little over a year and even then they'd been apart more than they'd been together because of other obligations. _What did I say? STOP THE SECOND-GUESSING! _Calleigh winced. Shaking her head, she forcibly blocked the questions and insecurities from her forethoughts and concentrated on the remainder of the drive, which, she realized, was only about three minutes. She'd spent the entire time arguing with herself and found she'd arrived at Eric's. Calleigh pulled into a parking spot in front of Eric's condo. She got out and walked up to the third floor. For a long moment, she stared at the dull brass lettering which read "307." Squaring her shoulders and closing her eyes for a brief moment of strength, she reached out a hand and knocked lightly and then with more force. And if her hand slightly shook, no one was there to see it betray her nerves.

The darkened hall was filled with the soft light from his condo as Eric opened the door. Calleigh's breath caught in mid-hello as she took in the white tank undershirt that showed more than it concealed and the soft-looking well worn dark denim jeans he was wearing. Both complimented his olive skin tone and although she'd seen him wearing much less, Calleigh had a much better appreciation of the package…

"Uh, hi!" she said, overly bright, trying to compensate for the totally awkward silence when she'd stared stupidly at him, checking him out.

A small smile appeared at the corner of Eric's mouth and he said, "Hey, you want to come in before the mosquitoes get you?" Calleigh moved in inside, stepping close as she breathed in the scent that was sandalwood, a hint of male sweat, and something uniquely Eric. She'd never really paid attention to it or him before, but with the past hours' revelations, Calleigh found she couldn't help herself. Eric closed the door behind her and motioned to the couch. "You want anything to drink?" he asked moving slightly toward the kitchen.

"Yes, please. Water will be fine. Thanks," Calleigh replied, her Southern manners shining through even though she could barely think. Sitting down, she tried to gather her thoughts. _Calm down, girl. Everything will be fine. You already know how he feels. Just tell him how you feel. _

Eric came back with two glasses of water and sat down beside her. To buy some time, Calleigh drank a couple of sips before carefully placing it on a coaster on the coffee table.

"So, what's going on? Are you alright? You sounded so serious on the phone you had me worried," Eric commented.

Suddenly, panic bubbled up, her heart jumped into her throat, sweat dampened her palms, and Calleigh had to get out of there. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over. I'll see you tomorrow at work, Eric," she rushed as she made a dash for the door. Eric was quick too, and as she was reaching for the handle, a bronze hand appeared beside her head, blocking the exit.

"This isn't like you, Calleigh. Now tell me what's going on," he said in concern, gently turning her to face him. When she had turned fully, her back against the door, and his right arm still braced against the steel, he slowly, hesitantly, reached up and with his thumb smoothed out the worry line that had appeared above her brow. Stroking gently, Eric tried to calm his partner. Something was wrong, that much was plain, but she didn't want to tell him. "Earlier today, you said I could tell you anything. Well, the same goes for you, partner."

"I read your file," she blurted, and then promptly winced because that wasn't how she wanted to start this conversation. With the first sentence said, Calleigh's heart began to gradually return to a somewhat normal rhythm, still beating rapidly, but no longer racing.

Eric's look of concern transformed into a look of somewhat concealed alarm and what could have been a hint of fear mingled with hope. He backed up a few steps and gave himself some breathing room. Eric wanted to be a few feet away when Calleigh broke his heart, not that it could soften the blow.

"What—" Eric cleared his throat, a bit of rasp had roughened his voice. "What did you read?" he asked, afraid to find out and yet needing to know. He avoided her eyes when he asked while Calleigh's were locked on his.

"I hadn't realized how off you still felt at work. That sometimes you still felt as if you were the "newbie" all over again." _Cop out!! _Yeah, she'd read that, but it was a cop out and she knew it. She was avoiding the real reason she'd come over.

Eric's tension began to release as he realized it was work related and not personal. "Yeah, well, I still have memory problems. The medication helps, but the doctor's having to switch them up sometimes because I've started to build up a tolerance—"

Calleigh interrupted, "I know you want to settle down. With me."

Eric's breath disappeared with the utterance of one softly spoken sentence. Both were silent for a long time. His heart started to pick up the pace, adrenaline rushing through his veins. What did she think about it? What she disgusted? Was she angry? Did she pity me? Or, dare he hope, did she want the same? Did she want him as much as he ached for her?

"When I read that earlier today, it took my breath away. It surprised me, Eric. I was confused and honestly at first I didn't know what to think." Strangely, as Calleigh spoke, her pulse and breathing began to calm even more. It was as if the release of information, feelings and emotions bottled up positively affected her physical wellbeing.

Eric's heart squeezed tightly in his chest. Hearing those words was a blow to his stomach. _Madre de Dios. Here we go. Goodbye hopes and dreams. _

"I went home and I thought about what you'd said. Rolled it over and over in my head. Since you got shot, I noticed the feelings. I saw the looks and I thought, I honestly believed it was just a crush, Eric," Calleigh said, trying to catch his eyes, but he couldn't look at her while she tore his heart to pieces. "But…I thought about what you said. I thought about how scared, utterly terrified I was when you were in that coma, and I realized…" Here, Calleigh broke off, swallowed tightly, and tried to push past the knot in her throat, but nothing would come out. _You can do this. Just tell him. Tell him you love him. Take that leap of faith and allow him to catch you. You know Eric. You know he won't let you fall. _"I realized the reason I was so terrified was because I loved you." Eric's dark brown eyes darted unerringly to Calleigh's forest green, dark from emotion. "I love you. And I'm in love with you. I just didn't realize it until now."

Eric's full mouth began to slowly transform into a smile and he started to feel a bit lightheaded. Calleigh loved him! Immediately, he closed the few feet distance between them and with both arms around her waist, twirled her around the room. Calleigh giggled lightly. "Put me down. You're making me dizzy," she laughed. Eric gently put her down and closed the distance between them. When there was but inches between their mouths, he said, "I love you. I think I always have. I just didn't realize it until now," he repeated, a small grin on his face, before he closed the distance between them. The kiss was everything and nothing he'd imagined it to be. At first, they just brushed back and forth, but Calleigh soon became impatient and attempted to capture Eric's bottom lip. Teasingly, he wouldn't let her, pulling back just as her teeth nipped the full, succulent center. "You're lucky you don't have any hair," Calleigh murmured, her fingernails scratching the back of his head, shivers of sensation running down his neck and spine from her touch. Eric gasped from the stimulation and Calleigh took advantage, first nibbling that lower lip and then diving in the warm recesses of his mouth, tongue curling around his. She wanted to take and taste, savor and devour all at the same time. What started out slow quickly became a conflagration. Eric and Calleigh began to fight for the upper hand in their intimate match. Eric's passion matched hers, but both parted due to a need for oxygen. Just as quickly as they broke apart, they came together again, this time with more force. As they kissed, Eric fumbled them through the condo to his bedroom.

Calleigh curved and pressed her body close to Eric's to feel as much of him as she could. She couldn't get enough. Eric pressed his jean-clad groin into her hips and Calleigh wrestled her mouth away to groan and canted her hips back. She could feel the hard ridge behind the soft jeans, but it wasn't enough. There was still too much space and way too many clothes between them to satisfy her. Eric read her mind because as she reached for his tank, he was already skimming her shirt up her chest and over her arms. When Calleigh's palms touched warm, hard muscle, she broke off the kiss to see the difference between their skin, to touch what she'd once only dreamed of. A moan surfaced from Eric's chest at the sight of Calleigh, the woman of his dreams and the love of his life, her hands on his skin. She looked up at him briefly, eyes glittering emerald before ducking her head and slowly licking her way from one side of his chest to the other, pausing for several long, agonizing minutes on his nipples. Eric bit back a groan and cupped the back of her neck under her silky curtain of hair. With the other, he combed his way through the strands, pushing them back from her face so he could see her expression as she sucked and licked her way down his chest.

Calleigh snaked her way down his chest to his stomach and abs. Nibbling gently earned her tense muscles as Eric's abs contracted at the electric touch and his gorgeous six pack was put into even more relief. Lightly tracing the delineations, feeling the slightly tremble in the muscles, Calleigh looked up at Eric wickedly and worked her way down to the soft denim below. She had barely gotten the button undone and the zipper down before Eric was pulling her to her feet. "Eric…" she protested.

"God, Calleigh, I don't think I could take seeing you give me a blow job right now. I'm too close. Definitely sometime tonight, after, if you still want to. But I don't think I could handle that visual right now," Eric said, shuddering. "I've been dreaming about this moment for almost two years and off and on for years before that."

"You used to dream about me?" Calleigh asked.

"And you didn't? You're a gorgeous woman who can assemble and strip down an AR-15 in less than a minute. That's hot," he said cheekily. Calleigh laughed.

"Well, I have to admit, I have had some dreams about that lip of yours and you do have the most adorable ass. I could probably bounce a quarter off it…" Eric chuckled.

"Well, if you want to try it later tonight, you're more than welcome to, but…." he trailed off as he reached behind her and released the clasp on her bra, "…I think we have more important matters to attend to."

"Damn straight," Calleigh murmured, the curse coming out unbidden, attention diverted back to the matter at hand and devouring the Eric-skin that was visible.

Eric removed the bra slowly, wanting to savor the moment of seeing the woman he loved bare. Bra gone, he reached down and began to softy caress her silky skin, touching everywhere, but her nipples, which were hard and aching for his touch. Coral tips that they were, they reached for him and attempted to gain his attention. After several long moments of teasing, Eric could no longer resist their lure and after a few circles, pinches, and tugs, he lowered his head slowly. Calleigh could feel his hot breath on her skin and her breasts tingled in anticipation for his touch. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eric lowered his head, slowly, way too slowly in Calleigh's opinion because she started to pull his head down, and at last his lips caressed her nipple. Calleigh swayed on her feet as Eric began to kiss, nibble, suckle, and tug on her breasts, switching back and forth between the two, never in a discernable rhythm that she could find and therefore anticipate. The electricity tracing between her nipples and her clit felt like there was a direct connection between the two. A tug above would yield a throb below and soon Calleigh was crying out in pleasure, moaning from the intense sensation. She was so close…

"Uh uh. Not yet," Eric murmured, more to himself, but Calleigh caught it too and moaned in protest. "I've waited too long. I want to taste you the first time you come for me," he whispered. Those words whispered in that gravelly voice almost put her over the edge and into oblivion and she shuddered hard in reaction. Eric chuckled darkly. He reached down and edged her pants down her legs and off. Then he led Calleigh over to the edge of the bed and coaxed her to lay back. She found herself with her legs dangling slightly over at the foot of the bed. Eric reared back up for a few minutes to kiss her, starting with her mouth and continuing south down the centerline of her body until he reached the upper edge of her panties. By that time Calleigh was panting, from the pleasure and the teasing, but most especially from the anticipation of what was about to come.

Teasingly, excruciatingly slowly, Eric pulled down her panties, inching them down millimeter by millimeter, stopping every so often to kiss or softly lick along the line between the fabric and her sweet skin. Calleigh tried to flip them and reverse their positions several times, but Eric used his physical strength and upper body to keep her in place. She wanted him, not teasing, and so she tried to use every trick in the book, including some she hadn't thought Eric knew about, but to no avail. Finally, the panties were off and nothing was between Eric and the fragrant, soft, silky skin between Calleigh's legs. Nirvana.

At last, she thought, and began to slowly open her legs. Even though she'd waited for what seemed like forever, now that Eric was taking his sweet time and she actually had a bit of time and space to think, she was slightly hesitant. Letting Eric go down on her was more intimate than having sex with him. As backwards as that was, that was how she felt. Eric must have sensed some of what she was thinking, because he looked up from his hungry focus and reassured, "It's you and me, Cal. Just us. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied softly and her anxiety released, although the sexual tension of the moment had not abated. Still looking into her eyes, he lowered his head and began to make love to her sex. It seemed Eric loved to tease, because no matter how she moved her hips, what sounds she made, or where she placed her hands on his head to try to force him where she wanted him, he did not give in to her demands. He was going to eat her out the way he wanted to. Eric listened to the types of sound that Calleigh expelled as he went down on her and catalogued each one. Delicate nibbles on her clit yielded the most breathy, sweetest, lightest moans. A stroke along either side of her lips rewarded him with a sigh. Thrusting his tongue inside her channel got him a symphony of sounds and her hips canted toward his mouth. Christ, he was licking her _on the inside._ Just the thought had his cock hardening beyond what he thought was his max and a frisson of electricity shot up his spine and through his neck into his head. Shit! Eric had to reach down and press his forefinger and thumb against the base of his cock to stop the impending explosion. Having averted disaster, and apparently Calleigh none aware of it, Eric began to alternate a rhythmic dance of hard suckles, delicate nibbles, and quick strokes of his tongue against her clit with the occasional thrust of his tongue into her wet pussy. In a matter of seconds, Calleigh was coming, and hard. She screamed his name, hips thrusting erratically into his face and Eric had to force them down to keep his mouth against her body.

After a few long moments, Eric began to ease her down, lightly stroking, lingering. God, he never wanted to leave. "Mmmm, get up here," Calleigh murmured, heart still racing but at a bit more manageable pace. Eric slid his body up hers, and both shuddered as his still hard length grazed her sex. "Your turn," she said and curled her leg around his. Unexpectedly, Eric found himself on his back moments later with Calleigh wearing a grin straddled over him, her body lined up very nicely with his. "More for me," she added, before lowering herself onto his length. Eric knew he wasn't the biggest guy in the locker room, but he was a good length and width, and was unsurprised when Calleigh had to ease herself down. Taking it slowly, she lowered her body onto his, not just because of his size but also because she wanted to savor the first slide into heaven with the man she loved. It was their first time together and she would always remember the expression of intense love mixed with arousal, desire, lust, and underneath it all, at the base, friendship. Completely overcome, Calleigh leaned down and swiftly dropped a hard kiss onto Eric's lips. "God, I love you," she whispered. Eric was a bit confused at that emotional display during such a sexually tension-filled moment, but forgot all about it when Calleigh rose up and began to rise her body up and then let it sink back down. His eyes pretty much crossed and he had to get a handle on himself, but after a moment, he opened his eyes to find Calleigh's locked on his. They found a slow but rhythm that teased as much as it satisfied. However, soon, Eric found himself thrusting his hips up into Calleigh's as she stroked hers down, but that soon wasn't enough either. Eric wanted to be holding her. He maneuvered them so that they were both upright and she was still riding him, but he could hold and kiss her. When they changed position, it also changed the depth and angle and at the first stroke Calleigh's cries began to heighten in pitch and strength. Someone from next door banged on the wall and Eric smiled and then brought Calleigh's head down to his to smother her cries against his lips. Calleigh's face burned in both arousal and embarrassment, but her embarrassment was soon forgotten. Almost simultaneously, both reached orgasm. The feel of Calleigh's muscles stroking and gripping him in a vice put Eric over the edge and he swallowed her cries into his mouth as they both came. Long minutes later, they were still gasping for breath, but were slowly coming down from the high they'd enjoyed. "Remind me to send my neighbor a basket of cookies or something," Eric said, running his hand lightly down Calleigh's back. She smothered a laugh against his chest and ignored the heat in her cheeks.

"I'm so… that was…" Calleigh attempted.

"Can't believe I've got you speechless. Damn, I'm good," Eric said smugly, but his smugness was cut short as Calleigh reached over and lobbed a pillow at his head. "Ouch, that hurt," he pretended, rubbing his head.

"Serves you right," she said smartly, half reclining, upper body raised up by her right arm, and looking down at Eric.

He looked at Calleigh, the woman he loved and the incredible person he'd just made love to. He thought about all that had been said that night. "Are you sure?" he asked cryptically.

Calleigh knew what he was asking. "I want you, Eric. Now. Hopefully forever, but if that don't work—"

Eric cut her off, "It will work—"

"But it may not. My parents—" she interrupted.

"Don't matter. We're not them." Eric stated.

"What about work?" she added.

"It'll still be there. Nothing will change. I love you. We'll make this work. I want to marry you," Eric said, reaching up and swiftly cutting her off with another rebuttal with a hard kiss against her lips. "Maybe not now," he said with a small smile, "but someday. We'll make it work because we love each other and we want to be together. We'll find a way, Calleigh."

She looked at him, soaking in the determined look in his eyes. Worry still nagged at her though. _Listen to the man. He knows what he's talking about. _Eric could see the anxiety clear from her eyes. "Someday," she said softly and smiled.

THE END!


End file.
